Nesting Near the Altar

Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God. (Ps. 84:3)

Pondering that the sparrow (or the robin, as the case may be) finds a place for her nest near the altar of God.  Remembering He sees even the sparrow that falls from the sky and says "you are of more value than many sparrows".

What Goes Down Must Come Up

Quiz question: how many Eisenmanns in this picture?

We had the wonderful opportunity to experience hiking the Grand Canyon last summer.  And this view was what I typically saw, my entire family ahead of me.  Of course I was merely taking up the rear in order that no one else would be discouraged.  I could have passed any of them at the time of my choosing, especially on the way out (up) of the canyon.

Well, maybe not...It truly is an "inverted mountain".  And a glorious example of God's creation.

Hats

It seems to me that you have to reach a certain age to be able to pull off a straw hat. If you know George, you know he's pretty comfortable in his own skin.  That gleam in his eye reveals his zest for life and learning that is evident in any conversation with him.

And it just may be that the hat young Philemon is sporting may less appeal to him when he reaches adolescence.

Regardless of their choice (or mother's choice, perhaps, in Philemon's case) of headwear, I'm charmed by the easy connection they seem to have and the evident mutual interest in some object of attention just off camera.

Teamwork

It's a lot harder than you might think to capture these guys in flight. But then again, it's a lot harder to fly like they are flying.  You'd be surprised how close another airplane looks just 500' below you -- I can't imagine how this would feel.  It was taken at last summer's Chicago Air Show.

Quartus

This little guy has a "nixy" streak that I fancy you can see in his eyes in this shot.  Someday, though, I plan to be able to use the phrase, "Quartus a brother" found in Romans 16:23!

Come Ye Apart

And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart ... and rest a while. (Mark 6:31)

How wonderful that, knowing our frame, the Creator ordained Sabbath rest and, knowing our stubbornness, modeled it for us as Christ in the flesh.

This delightful little nook holds special meaning as it was the spot where Cindy and I took our annual outing last fall.  Let the enticing view carry you to a restful spot in your mind this very moment.

New Life

For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; (Song of Solomon 2:11-12)

My Favorite Smile

Her price is far above rubies... (Prov. 31:10)

Today my best friend and life companion, my dear wife Cindy, celebrates her birthday.  I love you, dear!

He is Risen!

Do you see only the dark cloud of Gethsemane obscuring the sky as the sun seems to set with waning power and loss of hope?  Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows.  The chastisement of our peace was upon Him.  With HIS stripes we are healed!  (from Isaiah 53)

Behold, the sun rises anew...

He is risen, indeed.

Short Final II

If you ever wondered what view the co-pilot sees when landing at a major airport, wonder no more!  This shot was taken by my dad as we were landing on Runway 32 at Sarasota Airport (SRQ) in Florida after a delightful sightseeing trip around the area.

This Nikon Coolpix product is more about the angle than the quality of the image. By the way, by the time you get to "short final", it's essential that you have everything set and a stable approach established.  Kind of like life.